NHRA: Kurt Chronicles: Gatornationals Edition
10 March 2000
Kurt Johnson ACDelco News & Notes for the NHRA Mac Tools
Gatornationals, Gainesville, Fla., March 17-19, 2000
TV: ESPN2, March 19, 5-7 p.m. (ET)
GOIN' TO GAINESVILLE
Gainesville, Fla., is a college town - but for one weekend every year
it becomes a racing town. The NHRA Mac Tools Gatornationals traditionally
signals the arrival of spring and the awakening of drag racing on the East
Coast. This year the "second season" starts at Gainesville Dragway on March
17-19.
Kurt Johnson was the No. 2 qualifier and advanced to the final round
at last year's Gatornationals. There he had the misfortune to race his
father Warren, the perennial winner at Gainesville Raceway. Although Kurt
had lane choice for the final face-off, he encountered handling problems
and lost to Warren. Nevertheless, K.J.'s runner-up finish was his best
result in seven appearances at the Gatornationals.
"That track can be tricky on race day if the sun is shining,"
Kurt comments. "When it gets slippery, you have to tiptoe through the
middle part of the track and stand up the spoiler to keep the tires
planted.
"Our primary concern going into Gainesville is coming up with a
chassis, tire, and clutch combination that will go through first gear
smoothly," he reveals. "We've tested extensively on our shock absorber
dynamometer at the shop, and we have several sets of shocks to try on the
race track."
FAMILY PLANNING
Kurt Johnson's on-track activities last month were overshadowed by the
arrival of his third child. Kurt and his wife Kathy welcomed Jarrett Kurt
Johnson, a.k.a. "JKJ" into the world on February 15 at 1:43 p.m. Jarrett,
who weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces, is an early favorite to win the NHRA
championship in 2018.
Timing is everything, and Jarrett's arrival was precisely
synchronized with a break in the racing schedule. "I attended an ACDelco
national sales meeting in Orlando, took the last flight back to Atlanta,
and got home at one o'clock in the morning," said the proud father. "Eight
hours later, Kathy and I were at the hospital."
POINTS PERSPECTIVE
One year ago, Kurt held the lead in the race for the Pro Stock
championship. This time around he is in ninth place, 142 markers behind Jeg
Coughlin Jr. Kurt's reversal of fortune hasn't affected his confidence,
however.
"Jeg has jumped out to a big lead, but we can overcome that,"
Kurt asserts. "He has been making good runs, and that just raises the bar
for us to make better, more consistent runs. Even though a racer is always
trying to go faster, the key to winning a championship is to get from Point
A to Point B every time you are on the track."
BODY DOUBLE
The ACDelco Kurt Johnson Green Light Sweepstakes generated more than
100,000 entries as race fans vied for the grand prize - a new Camaro Z28
with custom paint and graphics that duplicated the appearance of K.J.'s
race-winning Chevrolet. Kurt Miller of West Columbia, S.C., won the
tricolored "clone" Camaro.
Johnson played a key role in selecting the sweepstakes winner. The
final drawing took place on the starting line at Pomona Raceway before the
last qualifying session at the AutoZone Winternationals. After the names of
the three finalists were placed in Kurt's helmet, the 36-year-old driver
literally pulled the winning entry out of his "hat."
"We appreciate the tremendous support of ACDelco, Chevrolet, and
the entire GM organization for our racing program," said Johnson. "This
program is a great way to reward the fans who support our sport."
The sweepstakes spotlighted ACDelco's involvement in NHRA
championship drag racing as both a team and product sponsor. Contestants
could enter the contest at NHRA national events, GM dealerships, ACDelco
distributors, and mass merchandisers.
"The sweepstakes transferred the excitement of drag racing from the
race track to ACDelco distributors and retailers," said Bill Fitzgerald,
manager of event marketing for GM Service Parts Operations.
The positive response to the program prompted ACDelco, in association
with Chevrolet and the Camaro and S-10 brand teams, to expand the program
for 2000. The grand prizes in this year's ACDelco Sweepstakes are a Kurt
Johnson Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and a Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme pickup. The
winners in the year-long promotion will be announced at the Winternationals
in February 2001.
HANDS ACROSS THE SEA
The NHRA tour will take on an international flavor when Swedish Pro
Stock driver Michael Malmgren joins the circuit at the Gatornationals with
a new 2000 Camaro sponsored by ACDelco Europe. Malmgren, the FIA Pro Stock
record holder at 7.06/197 mph, plans to run Gainesville, Las Vegas, and
Houston before returning home to pursue the FIA European Championship. A
camera team will record his experiences in America for Eurosport, Skysport,
and Swedish television.
"We are very excited about this tour and we hope to do well,"
said Malmgren, the 1995-97 Nordic Pro Stock champion. "We know that even to
qualify will be hard, but we are aiming high. The team is very proud to be
associated with ACDelco, a company that is known around the world."
KURT JOHNSON GATORNATIONALS RESULTS
Year Qual. Result
1993 3 Second Round
1994 8 First Round
1995 8 Semi Final
1996 4 First Round
1997 2 Semi-Final
1998 2 Semi Final
1999 2 Runner-up (to W. Johnson)
Total 7
Wins 0
Runner-up 1
Semi Final 3
Second Round 1
First Round 2
No. 1 Qualifier 0
KURT JOHNSON RACE REVIEWS:
AutoZone Winternationals, Pomona, Calif., Feb. 6, 2000
Qualifying: Kurt Johnson qualified No. 8 at 6.909/199.05 mph.
First Round: Kurt Johnson defeated Ron Krisher (crashed).
Second Round: George Marnell defeated Kurt Johnson.
NHRA Checker-Schuck's-Kragen Nationals, Phoenix, Feb. 27, 2000
Qualifying: Kurt Johnson qualified No. 1 at 6.890/200.38 mph.
First Round: Jamie Yates defeated Kurt Johnson.
POINTS RACE:
(After 2 of 23 events)
Driver Wins Points
1. Jeg Coughlin Jr. 2 233
2. Warren Johnson 0 146
3. Mark Pawuk 0 128
4. Tom Martino 0 107
5. Ron Krisher 0 105
6. Greg Anderson 0 104
7. George Marnell 0 103
8. Jim Yates 0 95
9. Kurt Johnson 0 91
10. Bruce Allen 0 88